Fish Oil Combats Inflammation

Overweight adults may benefit from fish oil supplements, according to a new study showing omega-3 fatty acids can lower inflammation in healthy, but overweight middle-aged and older people.The findings, by Ohio State University researchers, suggest regular use of these supplements could help protect against and treat inflammation-related illnesses such as diabetes, arthritis and Alzheimer's disease."Omega-3 fatty acids may be both protective so that inflammation doesn't go up, as well as therapeutic by helping inflammation go down," said Jan Kiecolt-Glaser, lead author of the study published in the journal Brain, Behavior and Immunity."This is the first study to show that omega-3 supplementation leads to changes in inflammatory markers in the blood in overweight but otherwise healthy people. In terms of regulating inflammation when people are already healthy, this is an important study, in that it suggests one way to keep them healthy." For the study, the scientists tracked the benefits of the supplements in 138 overweight adults – 45 men and 93 women – in good health. Their average age was 51 years. They found just four months of omega-3 supplementation decreased a protein in the blood that signals the presence of inflammation by more than 10 percent, and led to a modest decrease in another risk factor. The supplements contained two fish oil fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Previous research has suggested that EPA has more anti-inflammatory properties than does DHA.The Food and Drug Administration considers daily omega-3 supplementation of up to 3 grams to be "generally regarded as safe," researchers noted. "Although omega-3 fatty acids cannot take the place of good health behaviors, people with established inflammatory diseases or conditions may benefit from their use," Kiecolt-Glaser said.This study was funded, in part, by the National Institutes of Health.

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